Hand-dyed and Handspun Capucine Hat FO

From dye pot to finished garment ... here's my handspun Capucine hat FO write-up.

I started off with 200g of undyed BFL fiber which I dyed with green(ish) & pink Kool-Aid. It looked so gorgeous straight out of the dye pot ...

When dry, the colours became much less vibrant, and I was worried that I might have felted the fiber slightly.

But after some pre-drafting, I began to spin it up (during the Tour de Fleece in July this year).

With the Capucine pattern in mind, I spun it in bulky/superbulky weight. As my first batch of handspun of the TdF it was a little uneven and over-spun in places, but I was still more than happy with the result.

Then, on my trip to Cornwall last week, I cast on during the four hour drive to the caravan park.

I do so love a bulky knit, as it seems to grow before your eyes.

I finished the main bulk of the hat quite early into the holiday, but forgot to pack my DPNs so had an agonising wait to finish it off.

A few days later, on the evening of returning home, I completed the last few decrease rows and closed the peak of the hat up, added braids, sewed the ends in and tried the hat on immediately.

I think you can see from the photo how pleased I am with the hat, which fits perfectly and is remarkably warm.

I just adore making the whole item from start to finish and can't quite explain how satisfying it is. It's just a wonderful feeling.

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Taking part in Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch's SPINNING SHOW & TELL meme today. Please go along and take a look at her gorgeous blog.

Happa Handspun and Handknit Hat FO

My trip to Unravel Fiber Festival earlier this year was very fruitful ... I came away from it with lots of goodies ... Well, it would have been rude not to!

One of these purchases was 100g of merino fiber from Skeins in the Pale Jungle colourway.

I was itching to spin it up and so this happened >>>

This was such an enjoyable spin, as these are some of my very favourite colours, plus of course being 100% merino ... Yum!

It all fit onto one bobbin, so I wound the singles on to a yarn winder to create a center-pull-ball.

And after the plying, I had a lovely squashy 2-ply yarn ready and waiting to be used.

I began looking through Ravelry or a suitable pattern for the correct yarn weight and meterage. I kept on thinking that I wanted to make a cowl, but then I asked for the advice of my Instagram friends, who instantly suggested that a hat would work well.

And so the 1 of 6 Hat KAL was born.

With very short notice, as this was all so spur of the moment, I simply couldn't wait any longer and cast on the Happa Hat within days of organising the KAL. There was no urgency or rush for others to follow suit, and they participated when they had the yarn and tools to hand.

And there it is ... the beginnings of my hat. I had learnt a new stitch too (I love an educational knit) ... the twisted 1x1 rib stitch, which I couldn't quite work out at first because I thought that my hat looked way too small for an adult head, but once I was further into the pattern I discovered (with great relief) that this rib stitch is uber-stretchy.

And on to the lace pattern, which is always so thrilling to see as it starts to take form. I just love the leaves effect of this design.

Being worsted weight yarn, it knitted up nice and quickly. In between a busy lifestyle it took a few evenings over the course of about two weeks to complete.

There's nothing quite like knitting with your very own handspun yarn. Truly satisfying to the MAX.

And here it is ... with some daytime FO photos :)

And a cheeky selfie of one happy spinner/knitter ...

Birthday Knitting ... My Son Turns Two

My wonderful boy turned two years of age at the end of February, and it was so bittersweet. How can it be that two years have passed already? He has changed from a baby to a boy child before my eyes.

Their growth spurts seem so overnight and final. I could swear he looks a little more grown up and bigger each morning, with limbs lengthening, feet spreading out and his face gone from round and cherubic to more oval and boyish. The baby time is over.

On to the next phase ... and don't I know it. As if he knows his timing to perfection, his second birthday happened at the same time as he truly learnt the true meaning of the word 'NO'!

Still, it's wonderful seeing his character develop and his likes and dislikes take shape. I am astounded daily by this little soul. He is an inspiration and I am proud and honoured to be his Mama.

I wanted to make him something for his birthday, as I knew he would have plenty of toys and books from family and friends. In my opinion, there's nothing quite like a nice warm baby or child in hand-knitted outfits. I endeavoured to make more, but time is always my enemy.

So with the cold icy winter wind still plagueing us, I decided on the Lyalya Hoodie pattern by Natasha Schaffer on Ravelry.

This is just the sweetest little pattern that looks so toasty warm, and harder for the hat to come off (or be pulled off) as it comes right down onto the neck and shoulders.

I used James C Brett Marble Chunky yarn in MC31 colourway, and am really happy with how it turned out.

First of all I knitted the baby pattern with size 5mm needles and it came out too small for my boy.

So on my second attempt I followed the child size pattern with the same needles and it fitted him to perfection.

And the good thing is the baby hoodie will make a lovely gift for a friends (much younger) little one :)

A New Pattern: The Lovebird Beanie Hat

Well, here it is ... my debut into the world of knitwear design ... The Lovebird Beanie Hat. Now available to download through Ravelry.

Modelled here by my friend Claire, it is a simple fair isle pattern that knits up quickly in DK to Aran weight yarn.

If you go on to make this hat I'd love to see your creation, so please link it to the pattern listing on Ravelry.

You can purchase this pattern here:

Thank you and happy knitting :)